Sorting Duel
by Marie Knight
Summary: Minerva's sorting with a twist.  Rated M for reference to killing.


**_***Okay this was supposed to be a story about Minerva's sorting, where she came from a pure-blood family of Slytherins and threatened the hat to put her in Griffindor, but it kind of had a mind of its own and morphed into this. : )*** _**

**_THX_**

**_Oh yea, I didn't create Harry Potter that credit goes to JK Rowling. Wonderful woman she is..._**

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><p>The sound of excited and delighted children leaked into her sanctuary. The sounds of reunited friends; sad, but proud parents saying goodbye to their children, and siblings wishing their brothers or sisters good luck made her slink even further into her self-appointed safe haven.<p>

She didn't have any proud parents wishing her well on her first year at Hogwarts or any siblings jealous, but proud, of her acceptance into the prestigious school, nor did she have any friends to greet her on the train. She had actually never been outside her house until today; she hadn't even been allowed to go and get her school books, materials, and robes from Diagon Alley.

She was terrified at the prospect of being around other people and she was even more worried about what she'd do if she didn't get into the correct house. Her father had already told her what would happen if she didn't get into Slytherin, just as everyone else in their family had. The only problem was she didn't want to be in Slytherin, she didn't want to take over the family business, but most of all she didn't want to KILL any more people.

She had been taught, since the age of five, how to kill people in the most painful and horrific ways possible and she'd made her first kill on her seventh birthday, it was her birthday present. Her father had been so proud of her; she'd been able to cast the killing curse at the age of seven, wandlessly to boot, and hadn't even flinched when the cruciatus curse was used on her.

The child in the dark and deserted compartment on the train sighed and curled up even tighter. She hadn't had anything to eat since…since dinner 2…no 3 nights ago and she was starving. She wasn't even able to get any food from the food cart because her father hadn't given her any money. Exhaustion and hunger finally won out over her fear and nerves as unconsciousness claimed her and she sank into oblivion.

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><p>With a jolt the child in the deserted compartment on the Hogwarts' Express jerked from the comforting grasp of sleep and into the world of the living. The noises of excited children fumbling with their luggage and jostling one another told her that they had arrived at their destination. She silently gathered her suitcase and undid the warding spells that she'd placed on her compartment door so that no one would come inside.<p>

Once almost everyone had disembarked from the train she slid the door open and crept outside. She was just in time to see a group of children, that were younger then the others, head away from the rest of the older kids being led by an old man with long scraggly brown hair. She followed them to a lake and waited for the others to pick their chosen boats. Once everyone else had a boat she got into one of the remaining boats that hadn't been commandeered already.

Her first glimpse of the castle was one of amazement and horror. The castle itself was magnificent, it seemed to beckon her to come and seek refuge inside its hallowed walls; but the thought of all the people that must reside within its walls scarred her more than anything. She was thinking that maybe jumping into the lake and never surfacing would be a better option than having to enter the enchanting castle when they entered a large, but obscure cave.

Once everyone had disembarked from their boats their guide led them up a set of stairs and to a large set of oak doors. The man knocked on the doors, which immediately swung open to reveal a vast high ceilinged hall lit by flickering candelabras.

A tall thin wizard with blazing auburn hair, and sapphire blue eyes that seemed to sparkle with humor and joy stood in the entrance hall, arms open wide beaming radiantly at them as though delighted to see them. "Welcome ... Welcome ..." He said in a voice that was full of warmth. "Welcome to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." His gaze swept over the children that had huddled together in front of him and passed right over her without even seeing her. She had a hard time suppressing a slight smile at the great Albus Dumbledore's inability to see through a slight invisibility charm.

He told everyone about how the sorting, that they were about to go through, was very important because the house they were going to be in would be like their family; that they would eat, sleep, and go to class with their houses. After stating that all the houses had their own virtues and noble history he smiled at them all and said "I fear I must leave you all for a short time, I shall return soon and take you to be sorted." Dumbledore turned and stepped lightly towards the doors to the Great Hall. As he reached the doors Dumbledore turned, beamed radiantly at them once more and joked. "Don't worry your fellow students don't bite and neither do your professors, and I assure you all that despite what older siblings may have told you sorting does not hurt." Then the doors closed behind him, and the small group of first years was left alone to await the summons to the Sorting Ceremony.

By the time Dumbledore had come back the group of first years were once again petrified and the child that was apart from the main group was really starting to get annoyed by the behavior of the others. She couldn't understand what they had to be nervous about they weren't going to be beaten to within an inch of their life if they didn't get into the right house.

He turned and led them into the great hall, past the long tables crowded with students of all ages and up to the table on a large dais, where the members of staff sat. A single chair in front of the staff table, next to it on a small ornately decorated pedestal was an ancient slightly bedraggled looking hat.

The first years huddled together in a fearful and nervous group with only one exception, the child still stood apart from the group in the shadows. She watched as the hat started the ceremony by singing. She waited for her name to be called, not sure yet if she'd actually go up their or if she'd just walk away.

Her time to deliberate on her decision had come to an end when, "Tyree, Minerva" resonated off the walls of the castle. She took a deep breath and then lowered the invisibility charm and stepped forward. She noticed the look of confusion that came across both Dumbledore's and the staff's face when she walked up to the stool. Her warped sense of humor found it funny how the adults found it troubling that they hadn't noticed her until then.

She sat down on the stool and placed the hat on her head. It slid down until her eyes were covered and a feeling of panic overcame her at her inability to see what was going on around her.

'_Shhh child, no one is going to harm you_' said a small voice.

Minerva jolted on the stool and her fear only multiplied at the comforting words.

The hat sighed, '_do not worry child, I would never hurt a child._' Once the hat felt her relax a little bit, even if she was still tense and poised to bolt or attack, he continued, '_let's see as to which house you belong… Well your talented, brave, cunning, but your also loyal…hmmm were to place you_'

"I am not brave nor am I loyal," the child on the stool said, her voice resounding around the room.

The hat shook its head, '_You are brave, you are able to stay in a room full of people even though you fear people and you are loyal, you stayed with your pet the whole entire time even though it was killing you to see it being tortured._'

'_hmmm, I believe you'd do well in either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw_' the hat said.

"And have you not seen what will happen if I do not go into Slytherin?" the girl's voice rang out in the silent hall. She shook her head, "You either place me in Slytherin or I will leave." Her ultimatum caused a few shocked gasps to break the silence and the teachers looked worriedly at each other.

'_You cannot do that,_' he hat asked. '_And how are you going to get home, the Hogwarts' Express has already left?_'

The child on the stool smirked, "I will find my way home just fine, I do not need a hat to worry about me."

'_Why are you so set on Slytherin?_' he hat asked, '_you don't really belong there, you don't have the right disposition._'

"You are supposed to be able to read minds, right? You should already know the answer to that. You should also know that my threat is quiet real, I will get up and leave if you decide on any house other than Slytherin."

By now most of the students were whispering and starring in wonder and disbelief at the gall of the girl and the professors were getting very worried. The headmaster and Deputy Headmaster shared a look of confusion and uncertainty, since this had never happened before and they didn't know quite what to do.

The hat sighed and then bent over a bit in thought, '_what if I could offer you protection from your family would you then be willing to accept any house I deem fit for you?_'

Minerva thought about this for a few seconds and then hesitantly responded, "How can you guaranty me protection? You are just a hat, are you not? There are very few who have stood up to my family and lived to tell about it and I would know since I have helped to silence a few of the ones who have dared to do so." A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

Gasps of horror at what she'd just implied resounded throughout the room and a lot of the kids who were close to her scooted back some. The teachers at the staff table exchanged troubled and concerned looks. Dumbledore took a more assessing look at the child in front of him and then turned to look at the headmaster.

'_I have a debt owed to me and I am willing to call on it for your protection if you'll accept any house that I choose to put you in,_' was the hat's reply to her question.

She deliberated on this for a moment weighing her options. Finally she replied, "who is it that owes you a debt and how can you be sure that they are powerful enough to protect me?"

'_Albus Dumbledore_' was the reply.

The child on the chair once more smirked, "You mean Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore the person who couldn't even see through my invisibility charm? He couldn't even protect himself from me let alone me from my family," she scoffed.

A few of the students snickered and Dumbledore looked down at her, bemusement evident in his eyes.

'_Yes, I mean Albus Dumbledore and he is one of the, if not the, most powerful wizards of this time_' the hat calmly replied.

"I want proof of that; if he can beat me in a duel than I accept, if he can't than you will put me in Slytherin." She rose from the stool, took off the hat, and placed it on the stool that she'd just vacated. She turned to Dumbledore, "I do not know how to use a wand so I will be using wandless and sometimes wordless magic, you may choose whatever you feel more comfortable with," she said with a decisive nod of her head.

Dumbledore looked at her now with an expression of caution, "I will not duel you. I have no intention of harming you and I might accidentally do so in a duel."

A mask of steal slid over her face, "I have been trained to kill since the age of five and I made my first kill two years later as a birthday present. My other present was to receive the cruciatus cures for a total of five minutes and I was told that if I made a sound that an additional two minutes would be added. I didn't even flinch," She added the last with a flash of triumph in her eyes and a haughty tone. "I was given an injured cat when I was eight and I was told that I could keep it if I nursed it back to health. I had managed to heal it and it had become my first and only friend I have ever had. My father decided, five months later, that I had become too attacked to it and had it skinned alive right in front of me. I was forced to stay and watch for the two hours that it took for it to slowly die in agony. I have also killed a total of 37 people since my first kill and I have no problem with adding to that number. So, as you can see I am not a helpless child that needs coddling," she spat at Dumbledore furry now evident in every part of her body.

There was a moment of shocked silence as everyone digested the nightmare that was this child's life. Dumbledore was the first to come out of his shock and he nodded to the child in front of him, "Okay, I will duel you, but if I win you will be under my protection and will do as I say." He waited for her to give her agreement and then waved his wand at the house tables causing then to slide toward the wall creating an area big enough to duel in and a yellow wall of light to appear cutting of the tables from the dueling ring.

The child cocked her head at the yellow wall and studied it for a few seconds before nodding her head in approval. "A very nice shield, it should be able to withstand most of the spells that could be used." Dumbledore nodded at her acknowledging her complement at his choice of shield to protect the bystanders.

They took up their chosen fighting stances and bowed to each other. Dumbledore started the duel off with five successive but benign spells to test his opponent's skills. When the spells dissolved into dust halfway between the duelists Dumbledore, with a weary grin, inclined his head in acknowledgment of her skills and obvious irritation at being tested. With this spells started flying through the air neither duelist giving an inch. The air was heavy with the power that was being so easily manipulated by the two combatants. There was a pause in the battle and once the audience's eyes adjusted to the lack of bright lights, from the spells that had just been exchanged, they saw why, Minerva was no were to be seen.

Their eyes scurried over every inch of the hall but, it was for not, since she wasn't to be seen by any. They were beginning to think that she'd fled when one of the Hufflepuffs provided an answer to the conundrum of where she was, "she said earlier that she could use an invisibility charm, she must be invisible." This caused another commotion as they began to whisper among each other about what she could be planning to do now.

Dumbledore stood still as all of this was going on and closed his eyes and just waited. Minutes passed with nothing happening and then suddenly Dumbledore moved, with a grace and speed one wouldn't associate with him, and pointed his wand at a point behind were he once stood and shouted, "incarcerous."

Minerva appeared from right in front of Dumbledore with ropes binding her arms and legs. Dumbledore was about to approach her when fire engulfed her entire figure causing him to step back in shock.

Shrieks of fear and shock resound around the hall once more at the sight of the fire. As the fire died down the spectators noticed that there were only scorch marks left behind where the young girl had once stood. Some of the girls let out a sob and the guys look away in grief from the marks that now marred the once pristine floor of the Great Hall.

"You act as if I'd just died," a voice filled with humor floats around the room. The mourning school inhabitants look around for the source of the voice. They spot the child when she steps out from one of the many shadows that were crated by the candles that lit the hall.

Minerva looked at Dumbledore, walked up to him, and looked into his eyes. "You fight well, although your refusal to kill we be your undoing in the future" the knowing look she gave him made him wonder if she could see into the future. She smiled in mirth at his suddenly piercing and questioning look and then offered her hand to him. He hesitated briefly, but then gently took her proffered hand, bent down, and kissed the back of it in a show of his chivalrous upbringing. She smiled, "I put my life in your hands and expect you to treat it well," and with that she went back up to the hat and put it on once more. "I honor my end of the deal, choice which ever house you deem fit for me."

The hat scrunched up its face and took a moment to deliberate. After about two minutes of tension filled silence it shouted,

**_GRYFFINDOR!_**

Minerva got up off the stool bowed to the hat and thanked it for its services and then went to sit at the Gryffindor table, which was once more in its rightful place. The hall filled with congratulations to the new Gryffindor and then quieted down for the few remaining first years that needed to be sorted.

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><p>Once everyone was seated and enjoying the feast Dumbledore looked up and his eyes locked with his new charge. After she'd looked away all he could think was 'that his life was going to get quite interesting, but then there was nothing wrong with that' Albus Dumbledore smiled and then turned to the witch on his right side and began to discuss the benefits of moonflower verses midnight lily in an aging potion.<p> 


End file.
